Symphony No. 1 in D major Op. 30 (1927) [31:02]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphony No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 38 Spring (1841) [29:25]
Orchestra of the Swan/Kenneth Woods
rec. December 2013, Civic Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK
AVIE AV2233 [61:07]
Musical champions don’t come more dedicated than Kenneth
Woods; it was his nail-biting crowd-funder last year that guaranteed
the final instalment in his Hans Gál cycle. All the recordings
in this series pair Gál and Schumann symphonies, hence
the affectionate ‘Bobby and Hans’ tag familiar to
those who follow Woods on Twitter. I welcomed his recording of
Gál’s Second and Schumann’s Fourth symphonies
(review)
so I was keen to secure an early copy of this duo’s maiden
symphonies. The Stratford-based Orchestra of the Swan have also
impressed me in the past, not least with this radiant Mahler CD
(review).
Gál, an Austrian composer, pianist and teacher, settled
in Britain before the last war. He was certainly versatile, writing
in most genres, but his four symphonies are the works that really
deserve to be dragged out from the shadows. Not without good reason,
for they have a strength and character that stumps anyone who
tries to find a contemporary with whom he can be compared. That
said, he’s clearly part of that great Austro-German tradition,
and one hears – as if down a tunnel - many echoes of that
illustrious past. At no time, though, is he derivative in a glib
or damaging sense, and that’s what makes these symphonies
so refreshing.
From its quiet, brooding start the First Symphony – in the
same key as Mahler’s – seems to eschew rosy Romanticism
in favour of something more clear-eyed and angular. Deftly scored
and crisply played the Moderato can’t resist the
tug of what’s gone before; just listen to the lyrical episode
at the heart of this movement and, later, to the gentle horns
that bring a Brahmsian wistfulness to the mix. Add in extended
passages of chamber-like transparency and introspection and one
begins to get an inkling of this man’s many talents. If
I have any quibbles they are technical, not musical; the sound,
although clean and admirably detailed, is rather close and lacks
the last ounce of weight and warmth That said, all is forgiven
in the half-lit, half-cut Burleske and the echt-Mahlerian
lilt and tilt of Elegie.
The Rondo, another Mahler favourite, finds Gál
in a more uncompromising mood. Dragging rhythms, piquant sonorities
and sharp outbursts are underpinned by a steady tread, all of
which is animated by Gál’s dry, elliptical wit. This
is music that doesn’t even begin to reveal its many felicities
on first hearing, so what may seem slightly anonymous at the outset
soon begins to engage and entertain. The playing is good –
not as polished as on that Mahler disc, perhaps - but Woods’s
enthusiasm and insight are as impressive as ever.
I daresay few will buy this CD for the Schumann; that’s
not to say the performance is wanting, just that there are many
fine versions of these symphonies in the catalogue already. Woods
brings a HIP-like clarity to the start of a nicely articulated
Andante, whose Mendelssohnian sunniness and general joie
de vivre are also well caught. This isn’t big-band
Schumann, so some may feel the orchestra needs a bit more body;
the upside is that the music has a sparkle and bounce that’s
most appealing. Less attractive are the rather fierce tuttis.
The rest of the Schumann is uneventful; the Larghetto
has some lovely things in it and anyone familiar with this symphony
will admire Woods for his firm grasp of both the broad structures
and their supporting pillars. I particularly relish his treatments
of the score’s lovely sonorities and carefully turned intricacies.
Schumann is apt to sound a tad bluff in his perorations, and that’s
certainly the case in the Scherzo and Allegro animato.
It’s here that one divines the link between Schumann and
Gál, for the latter seizes upon and reinterprets these
earlier conceits for a new age.
This is a worthy finale to a pioneering cycle, whose only competition
comes from Thomas Zehetmair and the Northern Sinfonia in the first
two symphonies (also on Avie). Woods and OOTS do this neglected
composer proud, so it’s only right that their tenacity and
devotion to Gál are finally rewarded. The conductor provides
very readable liner-notes, although both the booklet and the CD
track-list gives the final movement of the Schumann as Andante
rather than Allegro; it’s a small slip, and easily
forgivable in Avie’s rush to market this marvellous disc.
The Gál symphony project concludes at last; huzzahs all
round.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
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